We Used To
by ella012
Summary: Louis Tomlinson is the first guy she has ever loved, but she's not finding any difficulties learning to love Harry Styles especially when he seems to know how to care for her better than Louis can. Who is it going to be?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I am **not** affiliated with the band nor have I ever met them. The contents of this story are mere fiction and the lads are portrayed the way I imagine them. Inaccuracy is expected.

**Note: **Okay, so I'm really excited about this story and I really think it suits Louis and Harry. I hope you like what I do with this. Let me know what you think. **Review!** ;)

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><p>When I was younger, I was so convinced that I would meet the man of my dreams when the time was right. I always imagined it like the fairy tale stories my mother used to read to me before bed. He would sweep me off my feet, and I would just know that he was the one.<p>

When I started school, I eventually realized that princes simply did not exist, though that fact did not totally extinguish my desire to find my supposed soul mate. I still believed in my innocent little heart that the right one would still find me. He wouldn't be a prince, but he was out there.

By high school, I had totally given up on finding the perfect man. I'd been through years of watching assholes screw over my friends. More than just being scared of getting my own heart broken, I just knew that none of the guys were serious about anything. I was convinced that all of them would say anything just to get in your pants.

While it was sad that my happily ever after was tainted, I was glad that I wasn't naïve enough to fall for whatever bullshit the guys tried to pull on other girls. My friends still continued to date guys. They even tried to set me up for dates because they didn't want me to give up on the male species, but I simply wasn't interested.

In my mind, I was totally content with just myself. It was easier. I didn't have to ask permission from anyone – well, other than my parents anyway – when I wanted to do something. I didn't have to please anybody other than myself. I wasn't tied down. That was the perfect situation.

That is, until I met him – Louis Tomlinson. Even just a mention of his name sends shivers up and down my spine. He was a fresh face in our small town then. He was staying at his cousins' house for the summer because his parents were going through a divorce. It was to keep him and his sisters away from the mess.

The first few weeks, it was obvious he was miserable. Although he was always the one with the best jokes, he was also the one with the saddest eyes - when he thought nobody was looking anyway. I knew this because I watched him for days on end that summer. They always hung out at the poolside in our community pool, so it wasn't hard to spy on him especially since I worked as the lifeguard there.

"Hey. Why the long face?" I asked him when he walked by my station.

It was almost the end of summer then. I heard he was heading back to Doncaster in a couple more weeks. It was a now or never situation, so I figured why the hell not.

"It's nothing. Just a bit lost in thought." He had smiled then, his nonchalance quickly wiping off any trace of sadness. To someone who hadn't been keenly watching observing him, it would've been convincing enough, but I simply didn't buy it.

"I think it's more than that, but if you don't want to talk about it, it's none of my business." I gave him a smile too. "Enjoying the summer out here?" I quickly changed the subject to save him.

"Yeah. It's alright out here." He gave me a small nod before walking back to his cousins.

I continued to watch him after that, but I rarely saw the sad look again. I think he became guarded, more aware of his expressions especially when I indirectly admitted that I was watching him from where I was sat.

He caught me on my break the next day. I was lounging on a floater when he sat on the edge of the pool beside me.

"Hey." He called out. I had my eyes closed so I was surprised when I saw him there.

"Hey." I called back with a smile. "Can I help you with anything?"

He was hesitant, but he told me that he was glad I noticed he wasn't happy. He told me that it sucked living with his cousins and pretending he was fine even when they knew what was going on with him.

"What is going on with you?" I had asked then. Looking back, I was overstepping boundaries, but I'm glad I did. If I hadn't done that, I don't think I would've gone far with him.

He told me about his family and the divorce. He explained further everything that was going on with his life and how he felt about that. Although I only offered a few _hmm_'s and _huh_'s, in the end, he still thanked me. I was never quite sure why, but I figured it was for letting him vent.

I missed my shift that afternoon, but I was glad I did anyway. He stopped by my station the next day, and the day after that. He didn't mention anything about his family after that day, but he just stayed with me to chat.

He moved back to Doncaster a week after the day I talked to him, but before that, he stopped by my station one last time and exchanged numbers with me. He thanked me for salvaging his summer and he promised he would repay me someday.

"Don't think about it too much." I replied. "Just promise that when you think you need to talk to someone, you'll consider talking to me."

He promised and that meant much to me. I knew that he didn't want people to know what he felt, but I figured some time he would need to vent or he'd explode.

I was in Hatfield visiting my grandmother when Louis finally texted. He said that the divorce was finalized and hell was breaking loose in his life. He didn't know how he would deal with his family. I told him where I was and he drove so quickly that he was there less than an hour.

I would never forget that day I hugged him and listened to him sadly tell me about his life. That day, he tore down his walls and allowed me into his life. Within hours, I had a good view of who he was through everything he said and everything he hadn't said. He revealed himself to me, but my heart broke because it was through the bits and pieces of his own shattered heart.

He was in touch regularly since then. I helped him patch up his heart and face the world even when I was miles away. In turn, he listened to me bitch about my own life and offered jokes to cheer me up. It was a good thing we had going on then.

The next summer, he came back to visit his cousins. He hung out with me in my station as I did my lifeguard shifts again. Although he was only there for a week, he made the most out of it. He stopped by my station on his last day and asked me to be his girl.

We were together without even being physically near each other. I was finishing up my senior year and he was a sophomore in university. He visited once in a while, sometimes totally missing to go see his cousins. We carried on like that until the year ended and then I went to the same school he did for college.

He moved out of his house a little after the divorce was finalized. He said he wanted to be away from the drama for a while. He moved into a flat with Harry Styles, one of his mates' cousin. Harry was younger than him; he was about my age, but a few months younger still. I went to their flat every so often that I became closer to Harry too.

And this is where our story begins.

**Continued.**


	2. Chapter 2

_Because it's the New Year and this has received some warm welcoming, I've decided to post the next part up for all of you. Remember to **Rate **and **REVIEW** if you like this. It would mean so much to me. 3 Cheers!_

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><p>With my scarf wrapped tightly around my neck and my hands buried deep into my pockets, I ran up to the short flight of stairs leading to Lous' door. I thumped my knuckles against the heavy oak wood and waited to be let in.<p>

"Hey Loreen!" Harry held the door open for me. I gave him a big hug before I stepped into the warmth of their flat.

"Where's Louis?" I turned to him with an expectant smile.

"He left a little earlier, although I'm not sure where he was headed." He rubbed the back of his head absent-mindedly. I followed him into their living room and threw my bag next to the couch with a sigh.

It was almost Christmas. If the thick snow that kept the streets covered didn't give it away, the decors and the carols surely did. People were starting to get festive. I sure was. That was the main reason why I made Louis promise to go Christmas shopping with me this afternoon.

"What are your plans tonight?" I sat next to Harry on the big couch. I put my feet up on the coffee table next to his.

"I was going to finish my Spongebob marathon before you so rudely interrupted me. " He glanced over me with a playful smile. "It's been going on all day. I haven't left the couch."

Louis and Harry had stopped school that term. Well, Louis did. Harry never started. They decided that they wanted to try out the music business. Harry knew a few boys who had the same plans. One had an uncle who said that if they could come up with anything good, they might just get a shot with meeting some people.

As far as I know, they were working on some material, but in between that, Harry and Louis just stayed in their flat bumming around.

"Let me take you out for some nice dinner. Nothing fancy, but something better than McDonald's." I gave him a small smile.

"Are you asking me to choose between you and Spongebob? You must be crazy!" He was laughing then, and so was I.

"Be nice. I've already been turned down tonight." I sighed silently. Harry caught my expression before I could hide it and he gave me an understanding look. He excused himself saying he just needed to get changed.

As he disappeared, I reached for my phone in my bag and sent Louis a quick text: _Where are you? Taking Harry out for dinner. Text me when you get this. L_

Harry emerged from his room in a pair of dark jeans and a brown v-neck shirt. He ruffled his curly mop as he motioned for me to follow him out the door. I grabbed my purse from my bag and caught up with him.

"What do you feel like eating tonight?" I linked my arm with his as we walked down their street. We needed to have a short walk before we got to the main street where we were more likely to get a cab.

"I was thinking Japanese." His eyebrows knitted together for a moment as he pretended to think deeply. He smiled and asked me what I wanted.

"I don't really care. I just wanted to go out tonight." I admitted with a smile. "Japanese it is." I concluded.

We immediately found an empty cab when we turned to the main street. Harry gave the driver directions to the hidden food strip near the mall. Louis and Harry took me there on my first night in town. I had been terribly homesick and they thought it was funny. Despite that, they understood and promised me that the food would help.

We hung out at the food strip every once in a while since then. It was our special place particularly because we always went there when one of us needed some cheering up. That was the first night that only Harry and I were there.

After dinner, we went around the mall for a while. Although I originally planned to go Christmas shopping, we went home with nothing. It was either nothing looked worth its price, or I was not in the mood to buy anything at all.

"Harry?" Louis' voice greeted us the moment we pushed the door open. Harry raised an eyebrow at me and smiled.

"It's me." He replied as he closed the door behind us.

"Is Loreen with you?" I could hear him getting up from the couch and coming toward the door.

I gave him a small smile and walked into his open arms when he appeared in the hall. He hugged me tightly to him and apologised for forgetting his promise. Harry walked back into the living room and changed the channel back to the Spongebob marathon he was watching earlier.

"Spongebob waited for you, eh?" I chuckled as I walked past him.

"Yeah. He's a good chap." He had a proud smile on his face. He turned back to the television, kicking off his shoes.

"Good night, Harry. Thank you." I ruffled his hair and followed Louis to his room. He already had my bag resting on his bed when I entered his room. I looked at Harry watching television one more time and closed the door behind me.

**Continued.**


	3. Chapter 3

_Hello beautiful people! I'm sorry I updated just now. I just started with school and I still need to arrange some things. Sorry about that. :)  
>Anyway, here's the next bit. Same as usual, leave me a <em>_**review**__ so I know how you're finding this so far. Thanks!_

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><p>Louis scooted over to me and tried to wrap his arms around my waist. I swatted them away and crossed my arms with a pout.<p>

"I'm mad at you. You promised me we'd go Christmas shopping this afternoon." I said with more edge in my tone than I expected. I wasn't that mad, but I really was looking forward to hanging out with him.

"Oh come on. You had a nice time with Harry." He chuckled and rolled on his back.

Somehow that annoyed me. Although he already said he was sorry, it was like he didn't mean it. He just apologised because it was what I expected him to do and he knew it.

"Where were you this afternoon anyway?" I sat up then, sleepiness suddenly forgotten.

"I was at the auto shop looking for new set-ups for my car. I stopped at Niall's on the way back." He sat up and scooted even closer to me. "Please. Can you stop being mad now? I really really am sorry." He pouted and held his arms out to me.

Without a word, I moved into his embrace and allowed him to hold me like that. I rested my head on his chest as he kissed the top of my head. He whispered that he would spend the next day under my mercy and that he would not complain at all and he murmured another apology. Finally, I smiled to myself.

That was the thing about Louis. He made me mad, but he always knew that I was willing to reconcile as long as he apologised and gave me a big hug. I was easy that way.

"Good night, Lou." I stretched up and planted a kiss on his lips and drifted off to sleep still snuggly enveloped in his hug.

The next morning, I woke up to the heavenly smell of McDonald's wafting through the room. I looked around and found Louis setting up the coffee and the hotcake on a small tray.

"Good morning, love!" He gave me a cheeky grin as he brought the tray over to me on the bed.

"Kiss ass." I muttered as I accepted the tray.

He sat next to me and watched me down my breakfast. When I finished, he pulled me to my feet and pushed me to the direction of the loo saying, "Get yourself ready. Today, we're having some Loreen time."

I shook my head, smiling at him from where I stood, but I followed his orders anyway. I jumped into the shower and scrubbed myself clean for the day. When I stepped out of Louis' room changed and ready, I found him on the couch next to a rumpled and sleepy Harry.

"Are we ready?" I asked as I walked closer to them. Louis immediately jumped to his feet and started making his way out. Harry stared at me blankly and then returned his attention to the telly. "I hope you have some good fun for Harry time." I chuckled and followed Louis out.

As it turned out, I really enjoyed Loreen time. Louis took me to the mall so I could do all my Christmas shopping. We had lunch at a pretty little restaurant in front of the mall. He then took me to the arcade and let me beat him at almost all the games we played. We ended the day with dinner at my favourite pizza parlour. It was on the second floor veranda of one of the old buildings in the area. It wasn't a high-end pizzeria but I loved the place.

"Did you have fun today?" Louis asked me while we were waiting for our bill. His eyes sparkled despite the dim lighting of the place.

"Yes." I smiled at him and glanced around us. Only a few people were there with us. It gave the place an air of privacy that not a lot of the famous restaurants could offer. "This is awesome," I say. It was perfect.

Before we headed back to his flat, Louis asked if we could walk around for a bit. I agreed as I was still full and the walking sounded inviting. We didn't talk much that time. He just held my hand and walked beside me.

When we were almost to his car, he asked, "Are staying over again tonight?"

I usually stayed with them days at a time. I was so used to it that their flat felt more like home to me than my own dorm did. My roommates were all so used to me being gone as well and didn't mind me when I came and went.

"No. It's probably better if I headed back to the dorm for now. First day of the week tomorrow." I answered quietly. I always made it a point to start my week right. I had this theory that if I started it well, it would work out just fine for me.

I always end up waking up late when I stayed with Louis and Harry. That's why I usually stayed with them near the weekends so I didn't miss much from school.

Louis drove me back to their flat so I could grab my things. When he pulled up in front, he turned to me and said, "I'll wait for you here."

Inside, most of the lights were off except the ones that lit the hallway. I grabbed my stuff from Louis' room and started to make my way back to his car. Harry's door opened and a dishevelled Harry stepped out.

"Here." He said, pushing a small plush toy into my hands. "I got that from the happy meal I ate today. Happy Loreen Time." He had a goofy grin on his face, but I knew that he meant it. Harry was observant although he did not let on too much.

"Thanks Harry." I gave him a hug and said my goodbyes. He retreated to his room again and I walked out of their flat to Louis' waiting car.

**Continued.**

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><p><em>Just a few more words for those who are my first time readers, especially the <em>_**Malik**__ fans: I'm also currently doing a Zayn fan fic. Head on to my profile and click __**Bigger Than This**__ to read it. Don't forget to leave me a __**review**__ and add it to your __**favourites**__ if you likey. :)_


	4. Chapter 4

_Hello lovely people. I'm informing you now that updates will start to slow from here. I'm so sorry, but school is a bit hectic. I'm only allowed to write in between classes, which isn't often. Don't worry though. I assure you, there will be __**at least one update per week**__._

_I hope you like this next bit. Enjoy!_

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><p>"Lou?" I called through the front hall. I barely had the two bags I was carrying through the door when I dumped them on the floor.<p>

Harry poked his head from the living room door. He took one look at me; at the massive bags I had on the floor and made his way to me. He gave me a hug and made an apologetic face.

"Oh no. Where is he now?" I said with a warning tone. Harry shrugged his shoulders and carried my bags into the living room. I followed him and flopped on the couch.

"Hey Loreen." Louis walked out of his room and planted a kiss on my cheek. He adjusted his shirt and fixed his hair in the hallway mirror.

"What's with all the bags?" My eyes locked with his reflection.

"They're for the plates I'm doing?" He looked at me blankly then went back to fixing himself. "The plates you're helping me make tonight?" I added, annoyance dripping off my words.

He jumped on the couch next to me and slung his arms around my shoulders. "Well, I promised you I'd do it tonight," He said with a cheeky smile. "I have about three more hours until tonight comes so me and Harry are heading out for a while. Do you want to come?"

"No." I replied automatically with a cranky tone. I hated sounding like a snob with an attitude, but sometimes Louis just wasn't so sensitive. Sometimes I needed to give him blunt hints so he got the message.

"Well, you know where everything is around here, right? I'll be back soon, you won't even miss me." He kissed me again and got up from the couch.

Even with the blunt hints, sometimes he just didn't get it.

He walked off to find Harry who had retreated when Louis joined us in the living room. "Harry. You ready yet?"

I sat on the couch watching Louis with a big frown on my face. I didn't like telling him off because I wanted him to do things because he wanted to. Not because I told him to. That's how it's supposed to be anyway.

Harry walked out of his room still in his worn-out shirt and pyjama bottoms. He looked at me, took in my expression and turned to Louis saying, "I'm not yet done. I'll catch up with you later, yeah?"

Louis rolled his eyes and gave him a quick run through of their plans and started towards his car. He patted my shoulders on his way out, which made me even more irritated than I already was.

When he was gone, Harry sat on the chair opposite me with a sheepish smile and said, "Forgive Lou. Sometimes he's just so caught up with his own life that he doesn't notice a lot of things."

I was still mad. In that state, I would assume that I was generally an unpleasant company. But not with Harry, I just couldn't bear to be unkind to him, especially when he was trying to be nice and helpful to me. I tried to let all the anger go away with a heavy sigh and gave him a sad smile.

"I know. It's just that sometimes I wish he would listen, too." My eyes trailed to the bags still sitting on the floor.

"Well, what are those?" He motioned to them.

"Plates for my drawing class are due at the end of the week. I usually like to work in places I'm comfortable in so that I could do them properly. Louis said I could do it here so he could help, but he's gone now and I'm certainly not in the mood to do anything anymore." I sat back on the couch.

Harry slid down to the floor and grabbed a rolled up sheet from the bundles of paper I had on top of one bag. He unfolded it and just looked. I sat there studying his face. He looked interested, like he knew what he was doing. It made me smile a little.

"Is this supposed to be a cat?" He flipped the paper over so I could see what he was looking at. I burst out laughing and he looked rather confused.

"No, Harry. Those are leaves. You're looking at it upside down you know." I replied still giggling.

He turned it upright and looked even more confused. He stared at the picture and finally rolled it back up finally. "I still think it looks like a cat." He concluded.

"Well, those were leaves off an unfinished forest I was doing." I replied matter-of-factly. "It's not yet done, which is why you probably don't get it that much yet."

"Well, you should finish it." He held the paper out to me. I took it from him and placed it on the couch beside me.

"Where was Louis heading anyway?" I asked. I wasn't mad anymore, but I still wasn't feeling happy enough to work on anything.

"We were supposed to go to band practice with the other lads.

We just finished writing one song so they're really excited about it." He sat back on the chair.

"Well, maybe you should get going. They must be waiting for you." I said as I started to pick up my bags.

"Maybe." He said, with a contemplating smile. "I'll stay here for a while. Make sure you're doing your homework." He had a cheeky smile on his face as he helped me.

I smiled at him, genuinely for the first time that afternoon. "Pick up the cat. I'll turn him into a cat for you and I'll entitle it Harry." He grabbed the sheet of paper and held it out to me once again.

**Continued.**


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